The role of the field-effect emission in Trichel pulse development in air at atmospheric pressure

Several theories have been proposed to explain the current pulse of Trichel, at low pressure, in accordance with experimental results. Nevertheless, these theories failed to explain the very fast rise time (a few nanoseconds) observed at high pressure. The aim of this study is to propose a numerical simulation of the Trichel pulse which explains the typical current shape observed in air at atmospheric pressure in terms of field-effect emission. This theory explains the principal mechanisms responsible for the formation of Trichel pulses and takes into account the cathode material and its surface state. The effects of the field magnification factor on the pulse shape resulting from cathode microprotrusions are discussed. In the same way, the value of the discharge channel's radius is also discussed and compared with the experimental measurements.

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